


Closing The Distance

by madamecrimson



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, COVID-19, Crying, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mentions Quarantine, Post-Social Distancing, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:43:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23640052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamecrimson/pseuds/madamecrimson
Summary: Social distancing had finally ended.For the first time in months, Ryan and Shane were going to get to see each other in person.The quarantine had left them both alone with their own thoughts. While it led to breakthrough bursts of creativity, it also brought to the surface uncomfortable realizations of feelings they'd been ignoring for years.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Marielle Scott, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej, Shane Madej/Sara Rubin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	1. Trepidation

Ryan's stomach fluttered as he passed his cellphone from one hand to another, glancing out the window while trying to make it appear that that wasn't what he was doing. He was wearing a Shaniac t-shirt in the hopes that it would make Shane laugh. He was far more excited than he wanted to admit, and far more nervous than he wanted to acknowledge. 

"Hey babe," Marielle greeted as she entered the living room, causing Ryan to stumble forward. 

He placed a hand over his chest dramatically as he caught his breath. 

"Oops, didn't mean to scare you while you're gazing out the window to wait for your Prince Charming to arrive," Marielle teased. 

Ryan winced but his cheeks flushed red. 

The previous month, the isolation and his far too busy mind finally got to Ryan and he'd dissolved into a panic attack. 

_Marielle had sat with him on the floor, wrapping her arms around him and coaxing him through it. At some point he burst into tears, his anxieties rushing out of his mouth as a stream of consciousness as Marielle rocked him gently and brushed her fingers through his hair. _

_"What if fans don't like our quarantine content enough to keep supporting Watcher? What if people get so bored with isolation that they vandalize the office? I hate this. I HATE this so much. I haven't taken you on a proper date in weeks. I can't remember what Shane smells like. My hair is gonna be a mess after all this is over! What if Watcher is never as successful as Unsolved?"_

_Marielle remained silent throughout it all, slowly calming Ryan down, letting him get everything out. When the sobbing stopped and he could finally breathe again, he nuzzled gratefully into her chest and toyed with the them of her hoodie. Well, it was his hoodie technically, but she was wearing it. _

_"Your fans love your content," Marielle assured him. "You guys have grown so much in just a few months! The sky's the limit. A lot of your Unsolved fans have followed you to Watcher and you'll find a bunch of new fans too." _

_Ryan sniffled and gave a weak nod in reply. _

_"I guess you are pretty good at dates," she said teasingly, feeling her heart warm as a small smile formed on Ryan's lips. "We even had a few nice ones here." _

_Ryan frowned, pulling his head away slightly to look at her. "I almost burned the house down. Twice." _

_Marielle laughed softly. "It's the thought that counts! You remembered my favorite meal and tried to cook it. You made tissue paper flowers and put them in a vase. You even had us eating by candlelight. Plus, you learned that paper flowers and fire don't mix." _

_"And it only took me two tries!" Ryan returned, his smile growing wider. _

_He leaned in to kiss her lips gently, relaxing even more into her embrace. _

_"So when are you gonna tell Shane?" Marielle asked gently. _

_"What, that paper flowers and fire don't mix? I'm pretty sure he knows. And if he doesn't then Sara--" Ryan began before she cut him off. _

_"No not *that*," she replied. _

_"Well...what then?" Ryan asked. _

_Marielle sighed, shaking her head. "For two super smart boys you can be real idiots sometimes." _

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryan inquired defensively. _

_Marielle met his gaze. "When you were crying earlier, you said that you can't remember what Shane smells like." _

_Ryan blushed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, obviously. I mean, I haven't seen the big guy in months." _

_"But you know what he smells like. And you miss it," Marielle countered. _

_Ryan tensed in her arms. "Well yeah, I also miss the scent of gasoline, that new carpet we got in the breather office, you know, just stuff outside of--" _

_"Ryan," Marielle interrupted again. "We both know that's not what I meant." _

_Ryan sighed heavily, burying his face against Marielle's shoulder. _

_"Please don't leave," he whispered. "I love you so much and I would never ever cheat. Besides, Shane doesn't--" _

_"Babe I'm not going anywhere," Marielle hushed him, pressing a loving kiss to his forehead. _

_Ryan relaxed a little at that. _

_"Some people fall in love with more than one person. There's nothing wrong with that," she told him. _

_Ryan gripped the hem of the hoodie nervously. _

_"Besides, I knew there was _something_ between the two of you before we started dating," Marielle said nonchalantly. _

_Ryan pulled back again, staring at her with wide eyes. "How far back are we talking?" _

_Marielle couldn't help but smirk at him. "Well let's see, I started watching Buzzfeed: Unsolved at least 2 years before we--" _

_"What?" Ryan all but shrieked. _

_"It just took you longer to notice than everyone else," she giggled. "Heart eyes motherfucker! They don't lie." _

_Marielle gave him a wink as he hid his face in his hands. Ryan heaved a heavy sigh. _

_"And to answer you're earlier question I'm never gonna tell him," Ryan mumbled. _

_"Never ever?" Marielle asked, bringing her palm to the back of his head and thumbing over the nape of his neck. _

_Ryan dropped his hands into his lap. "There's no way that Shane would--you know." _

_"Do you guys even watch your own footage or do you leave that all to the editors now?" Marielle grinned. _

_Ryan exhaled heavily, shaking his head. "It's too much of a risk. I can't lose Shane." _

_"You won't," Marielle assured him gently. _

_Ryan didn't appear convinced. He snuggled a little closer against Marielle and she decided to drop the issue for the moment. She knew that Ryan could be unbelievably stubborn but that was honestly one of the things she loved about him._

Shane's breakdown had manifested differently, but it had been a breakdown all the same. 

_He was sitting alone in Sara and his home office, his paper journal in front of him. He rested his chin in his hand as the fingers of the other hand toyed with the pen he'd left laying in the spine. He heard the door open behind him and a soft meow from Obi. _

_"You coming to bed?" Sara asked sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. _

_Shane turned around to face her. "In a few minutes," he replied. _

_Sara frowned. After living with Shane for over 4 years and having dated him longer than that, she could easily pick up on when something was bothering him. He could hide it from most people, as displaying a chill demeanor tended to make them think that he was always fine. But Ryan and she were the only two non-family members who could see past that facade. His shoulders were tensed, not shrugged upward like most, but back just a tad too far. He wasn't the sort to fiddle with things most of the time but he had now picked up his pen and was twirling it between his fingers. And it wasn't that he smiled or didn't smile so much as it was that the expressions on his face were dim._

_Sara leaned against the door frame, tilting her head as she gazed at him fondly. "When did you and Ryan hang up on FaceTime?"_

_"About a half an hour ago," Shane replied. _

_Sara looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding as if she were confirming something to herself. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she said. _

_"What?" Shane asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. _

_"You always write in your journal after talking to Ryan," Sara replied. _

_Shane's cheeks flushed lightly. "I write when I have the time," he defended. "Even in quarantine it's still remarkably scarce." _

_Sara nodded towards Shane's hand. "You're twirling your pen." _

_Shane's fingers stilled for the briefest of moments before he started up again, trying to appear as casual as possible. "What, can't a man twirl his pen as he's reflecting on his thoughts for the day to put in his journal without it carrying some Freudian meaning?" _

_Sara laughed softly. "Oh he definitely can. But Freud would probably point out that an out of ordinary behavior like pen twirling for an individual following a call with his best guy friend might indicate a symbolic phallic substitution."_

_Shane's fingers twitched and he accidentally sent the pen flying across the room, the noise scaring Obi back into the hall. _

_Sara smirked. "And you know _that_ could be symbolic of a build up and--" _

_Shane held up a hand tiredly. "Only you would use open source textbooks for evil." _

_"Oh so the truth is evil now?" she quipped. _

_Shane tried to wrack his brain for a witty comeback but he was far too exhausted to come up with anything. "No," he sighed simply, sinking back against his chair. _

_Sara walked over to him, rubbing gentle circles over his back. Shane quickly turned his journal over. _

_"I wasn't gonna look!" she said. _

_"Can't risk it," Shane shook his head. _

_"What are you afraid I'll see your R+S 4ever hearts?" Sara joked. _

_Shane let out a strained chuckle but he flushed from his forehead down to his chest. _

_"Wait really?" Sara asked excitedly. _

_Shane ran his hands over his face. "There's also S+S 4ever and S+O 4ever," he mumbled weakly. _

_"That's so cute! I never pictured you as the blushing school girl type," Sara teased, poking him in the side. _

_"Look, I was Googling handwriting samples so that I could improve my penmanship when--Wait," he said, turning his chair to face her fully. _

_Sara couldn't help but burst out laughing, and she leaned in to press a loving kiss to his lips. "It's not like this is news Shane." _

_Shane's mouth felt dry and he dropped his gaze. "That transparent huh?" he grumbled. _

_Sara gently cupped his cheek and his eyes rose to meet hers. "Maybe that's just how you're wired, or maybe two amazing people dropping into your life was a cosmic accident." _

_Shane leaned into her touch, lifting his hand and placing it over hers. They stayed like that for awhile until Sara broke the silence. _

_"Are you gonna give him a note that says 'Will you date me, circle yes or no?'" she deadpanned. _

_"Sara!" Shane complained. _

_"You're two grown men acting like preteens with crush," Sara said back, pointing at his journal. _

_Shane lay his head on Sara's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. "This is so dumb," he mumbled. _

_Sara laughed, sliding her arms around Shane. She leaned down to kiss his temple. _

_"Don't stay up too late okay?" she said softly._

Ryan unlocked his cellphone for the twenty-eight time in the last five minutes. He tapped it against his hand and when he turned around, Mari was standing in front of him, staring up at him pointedly. Ryan looked away, unable to meet her gaze. 

"Hey," Marielle said gently, taking Ryan's face in her hands and turning him toward her. "It'll be fine." 

"I know," Ryan replied quietly, glancing down. 

"Look at me," Marielle said, watching as Ryan's eyes slowly rose to meet hers. 

"It'll be fine," she repeated, leaning up to his kiss lips. 

She pulled back and gave him a sympathetic look. 

"Awww you're shaking," she said lovingly, running her hands over his arms. 

"You're alright Ryan, okay?" Marielle smiled. 

A knock at the door sent Ryan practically leaping into the air. Marielle his a poorly concealed chuckle behind her hand, gesturing with her head at the door. 

"Aren't you gonna answer it?" she teased lightly. 

When Ryan blinked at her, his eyes wide and anxious she decided to go a little easier on him, simply shaking her head as she opened the door.


	2. Reunion

Ryan's heart raced, his thoughts moving too fast, making everything seem like it was happening in slow motion. He awkwardly slipped his hands into his pockets in an attempt to look casual and to hide the fact that they were shaking. When the door finally opened, and Ryan saw Shane's face, he couldn't help but break into a giant grin. A warmth flooded through him when he saw Shane step inside with a matching expression. 

He barely registered Marielle and Sara giggling and quickly sneaking out the door. Marielle was going to a girls night with Sara and some of Sara's friends. 

Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Ryan practically ran and lunged himself at Shane, throwing his arms around his neck and shoulders. Shane stumbled backward, nearly bumping into the front door as his arms came up around Ryan's waist. Ryan couldn't help himself as he pressed his face into Shane's chest, feeling Shane's arms tighten around him. He could feel his eyes threatening to water and blinked valiantly to try to stop them.

"So enough time in quarantine is all it took for you to come to your senses?" Shane asked. 

Ryan flushed. "W-What?" he stammered. 

Shane chuckled and Ryan felt it send shock waves over his skin. 

"Well why else would you be wearing a Shaniac shirt?" Shane teased. 

"It was the only shirt that was clean," Ryan mumbled. 

Shane laughed lightly, one of his hands beginning rub across Ryan's back. It was such a small touch, but so achingly intimate that Ryan shivered slightly beneath it. He froze, squeezing his eyes shut, hoping that Shane wouldn't pull away. 

Thankfully, he didn't.

"Oh surely," Shane said smugly. 

Ryan rolled his eyes. "As if you _didn't_ miss me," he grumbled. 

"I never said I didn't," Shane replied. 

Ryan swallowed thickly. During the quarantine, Ryan had told Shane how much he missed him, but Shane had never said the same back. 

"Didn't say you did either," Ryan mumbled, pressingly slightly closer to Shane and leaning into his touch.

"Just because I didn't say that I did, doesn't mean that I didn't," Shane replied. 

"So you did then," Ryan stated. 

He could hear Shane clear his throat, and Ryan was about to say something more when he felt one of Shane's hands tighten in the back of his shirt.

"Well...sometimes the ambient peace and quiet got to me a little," Shane admitted.

"I'll take it," Ryan replied, earning another laugh from Shane. 

Shane slid his hand slowly upward, cradling the back of Ryan's head, running his thumb across the hair at the nape of Ryan's neck. Ryan nuzzled against Shane's chest, unable to help himself. His lips accidentally grazed Shane's neck with the movement, and he felt the other man still. Ryan curled his hands in the fabric of Shane's shirt, again waiting for him to pull away but silently begging him not to. When the movement of Shane's thumb resumed, Ryan's heart began to beat a little faster.

He turned his head upward, and deliberately placed a very light and tentative kiss to the side of Shane's neck. Ryan could feel Shane tremble slightly, could feel Shane move his fingers so that they were now carding through Ryan's hair. Ryan leaned into the movements of Shane's hand. He kissed Shane's neck again, more firmly this time, drawing a soft groan from Shane's chest. Ryan lightly brushed his nose against the juncture between Shane's neck and his cheek, gasping as he felt Shane's hand tighten in his hair.

Emboldened, Ryan began placing gentle kisses along Shane's jaw, trailing them upward. He hesitated for only a moment before his lips were against Shane's. The hand in Ryan's hair slid down until it was cupped around Ryan's cheek. Shane's tongue lightly pressed at Ryan's mouth, and Ryan parted his lips, moaning deeply as Shane ran his tongue along his. Ryan was really shaking now, Shane's arms tightening around his waist. Their kisses were cautious and exploratory but Ryan could feel the heat rushing through him, trapped under his skin and aching to release itself. 

Shane's mouth began to move hungrily and insistently with Ryan's, making Ryan's knees buckle. He pressed Shane against the door, feeling the other man's hands slide down his back, moving beneath Ryan's t-shirt and touching his bare skin. Ryan whimpered at the contact, gasping in surprise as his shirt was ripped off. He tore Shane's shirt off in turn, immediately sliding his arms around him again, his breath catching at the contact of Shane's skin against his own. Ryan reveled in the feeling for a moment, having Shane this close to him after being so far away from him for so long. He took Shane by the hand and began dragging him toward his bedroom.


End file.
